Bhutan held their nerve to pull off a dramatic one-run victory over Oman U19 in the ACC Women’s U19 Premier Cup 2026 at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval. Captain Ngawang Choden produced a magnificent unbeaten century to power Bhutan to 147/1 before returning to claim two crucial wickets with the ball as Oman finished agonisingly short at 146/6 despite a spirited chase led by Nitya Joshi.
After being sent in to bat, Bhutan made a steady start through Ngawang Choden and Sherab Dema. The opening pair added 62 runs before Sherab was dismissed for 14(25) in the 10th over. While wickets did not fall at the other end, Ngawang continued to dominate the innings with a fluent knock, finding boundaries regularly and keeping the scoreboard moving.
She found solid support from Gyden Dema, who remained unbeaten on 18(29), as the pair stitched together an unbroken 85-run stand for the second wicket. Ngawang reached a memorable unbeaten 101(68), striking 13 fours and a six at a strike rate of 148.53 to become the third centurion of the tournament. Bhutan closed on an imposing 147/1 from their 20 overs.
Oman’s bowlers struggled to contain the Bhutan captain, with Kushi being the only wicket-taker as she returned figures of 1/29 from four overs. Nitya Joshi was the most economical, conceding just 14 runs in her four overs, while Pia Sharma finished with 0/28, Sahana Jeelany with 0/36, Unisha Rai 0/33, Lujaina 0/18, Aneeka Ashik 0/11 and Areeba Mughal 0/10.
In reply, Oman suffered an early setback when Sahana Jeelany fell for 4(7), bowled by Tenzin Wangmo Pradhan in the opening over. Tenzin struck again to dismiss Eshal Siddiqui for 3(4), while Lujaina’s 11(12) ended with a run out, leaving Oman at 33/3 inside five overs. Captain Nitya Joshi then launched the recovery.
Batting with composure and intent, she found useful support from Pia Sharma, who contributed 9(15) in a 39-run stand that steadied the innings. However, Bhutan struck back through two quick wickets. Pia was run out for 9(15), before Ngawang Choden dismissed Kushi for 7(7) and then bowled Amishi Sarkar for 0(2) in the same over, reducing Oman to 86/6.
With the match slipping away, Nitya and Areeba Mughal mounted an outstanding fightback. The pair added an unbeaten 60 runs for the seventh wicket, taking the chase right down to the final over. Nitya remained unbeaten on a superb 69(53), hitting 11 boundaries, while Areeba provided valuable support with an unbeaten 25(22), striking two fours. Needing 14 runs from the final over, Oman kept themselves in contention but ultimately fell just one run short, finishing on 146/6.
Bhutan’s bowlers held their composure under pressure, with Tenzin Wangmo Pradhan finishing with 2/36 and captain Ngawang Choden complementing her century with excellent figures of 2/15 from four overs. Unisha Rai (0/33), Riya Pradhan (0/11), Sangay Yangzom (0/26) and Thsering Choden (0/24) chipped in with disciplined spells despite going wicketless.
Although Nitya Joshi and Areeba Mughal came within touching distance of pulling off a remarkable chase, Bhutan held on to secure a thrilling one-run victory and one of the most memorable finishes of the tournament.
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